Spring operated safety razor with means to rotate or oscillate the inner cutter member



Sept. 16,1958 G 0 NE 2 1,712

.MN 8 SPRING OPERATED SAFETY RAZOR WITH MEANS TO ROTATE 0 R OSCILLATE THE INNER CUTTER MEMBER Filed Nov. 14, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Geo rjes MOD 78 i Sept. 16, 1958 V G. MONNET 9 1,772

SPRING OPERATED SAFETY RAZOR WITH MEANS TO ROTATE 0R OSCILLATE THE INNER CUTTER MEMBER Filed Nov. 14, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. e /yes Nonnef BY Fig.9 M t ATTORA/EKs SPRING OPERATED SAFETY RAZOR WITH MEANS TO ROTATE OR OSCILLATE THE INNER CUT- TER MEMBER Georges Monnet, New York, N. Y.

Application November 14, 1952, Serial No. 320,395

4 Claims. (Cl. 30-43) This invention relates to safety razors and refers more particularly to improvements in mechanically operated safety razors.

An object of the present invention is to provide a safety razor that is independent of electrical energy for operation.

Another object of the instant invention to provide a safety razor having a cutting head, the moving member of which is rotatable or oscillatable, or both.

A further object is to disclose a safety razor in which the cutting head is of convex form to provide greater strength and adaptability to the contours of the face and neck than known cutting heads.

It is also an object to disclose a simple, rugged, readily transportable, and mechanically operated safety razor.

Other objects of the instant invention will become apparent in the course of the following specification.

In the attainment of the aforesaid objectives, the cutting head is constituted of an outer stationary member and a rotatable and/or oscillating inner member of any suitable form. The inner member is operated by a gear train actuated by the tension of an unwinding main spring.

According to modifications of the inventive idea the inner member may be made rotatable or oscillatable at the discretion of the operator.

The outer member may be perforated, while the inner member may be of any suitable form and may have perforations, blades, ribs, knives or the like which cooperate with the perforations of the outer member to provide the cutting or shearing action.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing, by way of example only, preferred embodiments of the inventive concept.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front view of an improved safety razor constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of the razor shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but in part section and on an enlarged scale;

Figure 4 is a back view of the razor with the bottom member removed.

Figure 5 is a side view of a razor of somewhat different form;

Figure 6 is a front view of the razor shown in Figure 5;

Figure 7 is an enlarged sectional view of the razor shown in Figure 5;

Figure-8 is a sectional view along the line 88 of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a sectional view along the line 9-9 of Figure 7; and Figure 10 is a section through a differently constructed cutting head.

Referring now in greater detail to the first form of the improved safety razor shown in Figures 1-4, reference United States Patent 0 Patented Sept. 16, 1958 numeral 10 indicates the casing, and 11 the cutting head.

The casing 10 is a hollow cylindrical body made from any suitable material. One end of the hollow body is closed by the end member 12 integrally formed with or otherwise secured to the periphery of the hollow body. Over the opposite end of the hollow body is a bottom member 13 removably secured by any known means such as the screws illustrated. Substantially in the center of the end member 12 is a rotatably mounted bearing 14 (Figs. 3 and 4). Secured as desired to the inner surface of the bearing 14 and rotatable therewith is a lever 15 one end of which is extended beyond the bearing as most clearly seen in Figure 4. A shaft 16' (Fig. 3) has one end rotatably secured in the member 12 while the opposite end is rotatably inserted through and extended beyond the bottom member 13. A main spring 17 is secured to the shaft 16 so that as the tension of the spring is increased by the key 18, the shaft 16 will be placed under the unwinding tension thereof.

A pawl 23 in operable engagement with the teeth of the wheel 28 keyed to the shaft 16 holds the shaft against the unwinding tension of the main spring 17 by the action of the spiral spring 29. To release the pawl from the wheel 28, one end of an arm 24 is pivotally secured to the pawl with the opposite end slidably inserted through the casing 10, the arm terminating in the button 25. A gear train consisting of the operably engaged gears 19, 20, 21, and 22 is placed in operation by the unwinding tension of the main spring 17 as soon as the button 25 is depressed to release the pawl 23 from the wheel 28. The gear 22 of the gear train is pivotally secured to the previously mentioned lever 15 by the link 26, the pivotal mounting means whereof on the gear 22 is eccentric (Fig. 4).

The cutting head 11 is constituted of the convex outer member 30 with an open preferably circular bottom internally threaded around the rim 31 thereof as shown in Figure 3 for threaded attachment to the casing 10. The cutting head 11 is further constituted of the convex inner member 33 (Fig. 3) which is held under tension against the inner surface of the outer member 30 by the bottom spring member 32, the peripheries of both the inner member and the bottom member being secured together in a known manner. The bottom spring member 32 is fastened to the rotatable bearing 14 by any suitable screws 27. Through both the outer and inner members 30 and 33 may be provided coacting perforations 34 and 35, respectively, for severing the hair. The members 30 and 33 may be made of a suitable strong and resilient plastic material, steel, etc.

In operation:

The main spring 17 is wound by the key 18 to place the shaft 16 under unwinding tension. Normally the shaft 16 will not rotate because of the pawl 23 (Fig. 4) in engagement with the teeth of the wheel 28 keyed to the shaft 16. When the button 25 is pushed inwardly, the pawl 23 is forced out of engagement with the teeth of the wheel 28 and the shaft 16 will begin to rotate. The rotary motion of the shaft 16 is transmitted through the gears 19, 2t), 21, and 22 of the gear train to the link 26 (Fig. 4) which will force the lever 15 from the solid line position to the dot-dash position, assuming that the direction of rotation of the gear 22 is clockwise. The lever 15 being secured to the bearing 14 will rotate the latter clockwise and with it the inner convex member 33 fastened to the bearing by the screws 27. After the link 26 reaches the zenith position as shown by the dotdash lines in Figure 4, it will begin to descend until the nadir position is reached and will pull downwardly with it the link 26 to reverse the rotation of the bearing 14 and the convex inner member 33 counter clockwise. As

the gear train continues to function, the cycle is repeated,

3 that is the link 26 and the lever will oscillate the hearing 14 and the inner cutter member 33.

The convex shape of the inner and outer members 30 and 33 provides a cutting head of great strength as well as providing a certain amount of resiliency in operation, thereby assuring adaptability of the cutting head to the contours of the face and neck.

Referring now to the second form of the improved safety razor shown in Figure 5-9, reference numeral indicates the casing, and 41 the cutting head.

The casing 40 is a hollow cylindrical body closed at one end by the cutting head 41, later described, and at the opposite end by the bottom member 42 (Figs. 5 and 7); the marginal edges of the latter may be turned for slip fitting over the end of the cylindrical body as illustrated.

Adjacent the opposite end of the casing is a support 4-3 held in place by the partition 44 which, in turn, may be secured around the inner surface of the cylindrical body by slip fitting or otherwise.

Rotatably inserted through the support 43 and longitudinally adjustable therein is the shaft 45. The inner end of the shaft 45, the right as viewed in Figure 7, is extended inwardly beyond the support 43 and has keyed thereto a sheave 46. In the groove of the sheave 46 are the bifurcated ends of the clutch lever :7 (Fig. 7 and 9) signed that the shaft and sheave can rotate irrespective of the clutch lever.

Between the sheave 46 and the support 43 is the lever 48 through which the shaft is rotatably inserted in one position of the clutch lever 47 and splined to the lever in the opposite position, that is the position shown in Figure 7. At one end, the lever 48 is fastened by a spiral spring 49 to a cross bar 4% secured in a known manner between the partition 44 and a member 74 one end of which is attached in a known manner to the inner surface of the casing 40 while the shaft 45 is rotatably passed through the opposite end. The opening through the member 74 for the rotatable insertion of the shaft 45 is enlarged so that the spline mechanism for connecting the lever 48 to the shaft 45 (Fig. 7) can be moved by the clutch lever 4-7 to a position where it is free from the lever 48 but still rotates with the shaft 45 when the shaft is moved by the clutch lever 47 to a position opposite to that shown in Figure 7.

Placing the shaft 45 under either rotary motion or oscillatory motion dependent upon the position of the clutch 4-7 is the main spring wheel 54) rotatably secured on the inner surface of the bottom member 42 by any suitable means. The wheel 50 has a ring gear 51 (Fig. 8) engaged by a pinion 52 keyed to a stem 53a rotatably passed through the casing and actuated by the crown 53, the main spring actuating the wheel being secured in a known manner in the wheel 50 that when wound by the crown 53 the wheel 50 will be placed under unwinding tension. Keyed to the wheel 50 is the gear 54 (Fig. 7) and a portion of the clutch mechanism 55. A pinion 56 (Fig. 8) in operable engagement with the gear 54 is held and released by the pawl 57, normally holding the pinion 56 stationary with the aid of the spiral spring 72. A crown 5S keyed to one end of a stem 59 rotatably inserted through the casing controls a cam 60 keyed to the inner end of the stem 59 to move the pawl 57 out of engagement with the pinion 56 against the tension of the spiral spring 72 so the gear 54 and a portion of the clutch mechanism is placed in rotation.

The gear 54 is in operable engagement with a gear 73 (Fig. 7) keyed to a shaft 66 rotatably supported at one end in a member 62 attached by any suitable means to a support 63 which, in turn, is fastened to the inner surface of the casing 40. Keyed to the free end of the shaft is a cam 64 in operable engagement with one end of the lever 48.

The cutting head 44 is substantially similar to the cutting head of the first form, previously described, and is constituted in part of the outer convex member 65 the circular peripheral bottom edge of which is turned down and internally threaded for removable attachment over the threaded end of the cylinder as shown in Figure 7. The cutting head 41 is further constituted of the inner convex member 66 held under tension against the inner surface of the outer convex member 65 by the bottom spring member 67. The circular peripheral edge of the bottom spring member 57 is attached to the corresponding edge of the inner member in a known manner. Spaced openings 68 formed in the bottom spring member 67 are provided as outlets for the severed portions of the hair which are thrown therethrough by contrifugal force.

The previously mentioned shaft 45 is inserted through the bottom spring member 67 and is made rotatable therewith by hub 69 attached over the end of the shaft 45 to the bottom spring member 67 in a known manner. The shaft 45 must by virtue of the clutch and spline construction be both longitudinally adjustable in the support 43 and the hub 69 as well as capable of rotating the hub, the inner spring member and the inner convex member. This is accomplished by placing a key 69a in the end of the shaft 45 in the hub 69 and forming in the hub a coacting longitudinal slot.

In operation:

Assume that the main spring wheel is under unwinding tension and that it is desired to start the shaving operation with oscillatory motion of the inner convex member 66. The clutch lever 47 will be in the position shown in Figure 7, that is the coacting portions 55 and 75 of the clutch mechanism will be separated but the lever 43 will be splined to the shaft 45. In the aforesaid position, the shaft 45 (Fig. 7) will be moved longitudinally outwardly, that is toward the cutting head 41, until the coacting spline echanism of the shaft 4-5 and the lever 48 are engaged. By turning the cam 60 with the crown 53 (Fig. 8), the cam 60 will force the pawl 57 out of engagement with the pinion 56 to permit the unwinding tension of the main spring to rotate the gear 54, the gear 73, the shaft 60, and the cam 64. As the cam 64 contacts one end of the lever 48, the opposite end will be under the tension of the spiral spring 45 to rotate the lever in the opposite direction as soon as the cam passes the lower end of the lever. The oscillatory movement thus imparted to the oscillatory lever will, by virtue of the spline connection between the lever and the shaft 45, impart oscillatory movement thereto and to the bottom spring member 67 and the convex inner member 66 of the cutting head 4].

Assume further that it be desired to shift from the previously described oscillatory motion to complete rotary motion for the inner convex member 66. In actual practice different movements may be used for heavy and light beards. The clutch lever 47 is moved from the position shown in Figure 7. Whereupon the shaft 45 will be shifted longitudinally rearwardly for the engagement of the portions 55 and 75 of the clutch mechanism and the disengagement of the spline mechanism between the shaft 45 and the lever 48. Hence, the shaft 45 is directly connected to the unwinding main spring wheel 50 for the complete (360) rotation of the bottom spring member 67 and the inner convex member 66.

The improved safety razor need be only about the size of a pocket watch and may be equipped with the straps 70 and 71 fastened in a known manner to opposite sides of the casing 46' which are held between the fingers of the hand during the shaving operation.

Figure 10 shows a cutting head 81 having an outer immovable member 87 which is screwed upon the casing 89 and is provided with perforations 82. An inner member 86 has cutting elements or ribs 83 which are separated by grooves 84. Any suitable means (not shown) may be used for moving the inner member 86 relatively to the outer member 87 to eifect the cutting of hair projecting through the openings 82.

While there are above disclosed but three embodiments of the structure of the invention herein presented, it is possible to produce still other embodiments without departing from the inventive concept herein disclosed.

For example, the casing of the razor may be adapted to receive a watch on the side opposite the cutting head. Furthermore, the inner member of the cutting head may be operated by the centrifugal force produced by the rotation of the cutting head, the force causing the inner member to move toward the outer member. It is desired, therefore, that only such limitations be imposed on the appended claims as are stated therein.

What is claimed is:

1. A safety razor comprising in combination with a cutting head comprising an outer member having openings formed therein and an inner member having cutting edges coacting with said openings, means selectively rotating or oscillating said inner member relatively to said outer member, and spring tension means actuating the firstmentioned means.

2. A safety razor comprising in combination, a hollow cylindrical casing, a cutting head for one end of said casing, said cutting head comprising a convex outer member removably secured to one end of said casing, a convex inner member coacting with the outer member, a bottom spring member disposed around the periphery of the base of the inner member and maintaining said inner member under tension in juxtaposition with the inner surface of said outer member, a bearing rotatably disposed in the closed end of the casing, means for securing the bottom spring member to said bearing, and spring-operated gear train means connected to said hearing for driving said inner member.

3. A safety razor according to claim 2 in which the spring-operated gear train means for maintaining the bearing rotatable comprises a lever. disposed on the inner surface of the bearing, a bottom member removably disposed over the open end of the casing, a shaft rotatably disposed in said bottom member, a spring for maintaining said shaft under unwinding tension, a gear train for transferring the unwinding tension of the shaft to said lever, a link pivotally secured at one end to said lever and at the opposite end eccentrically and pivotally secured to one of the gears in said shaft, and a pawl connected with said gear train for maintaining said shaft releasably stationary.

4. A safety razor comprising in combination, a hollow cylindrical casing, a cutting head for one end of said casing, said cutting head comprising a convex outer member removably secured to one end of the casing, a convex inner member coacting with the outer member, a bottom spring member disposed around the periphery of said member and adapted to maintain said inner member under tension in juxtaposition with the inner surface of said outer member, a support adjacent the inner surface of the bottom spring member substantially at the center, a shaft rotatably disposed through said support and extended through the bottom spring member, a hub for the extended end of said shaft secured to the outer surface of the bottom spring member, said shaft being longitudinally adjustable in said hub and adapted to rotate said hub, a clutch for the opposite end of said shaft, a lever for the shaft intermediate said clutch and said support and extending on opposite sides, spline means intermediate said shaft and said lever for keying said lever to said shaft when the clutch is open and for disengaging said lever from said shaft when the clutch is closed, unwinding spring tension means for the casing and adapted to rotate said shaft in the closed position of the clutch, a gear train in operable engagement with said unwinding spring tension means disposed in the casing, a second shaft rotatably disposed in the casing in operable engagement with one of the gears of said gear train, a cam disposed on said second-mentioned shaft and adapted to be brought into operable engagement with one end of the lever on each revolution of said second-mentioned shaft, and spring tension means for the opposite end of said lever and adapted to rotate said lever in a direction opposite to that of the cam.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 703,845 Standish July 1, 1902 2,282,725 Jepson May 12, 1942 2,472,853 Lorenz June 14, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 875,448 France June 22, 1942 233,916 Switzerland Dec. 1, 1944 911,018 France Feb. 25, 1946 963,512 France Jan. 4, 1950 654,359 Great Britain June 13, 1951 

